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Happy holidays friends! Just wanted to stop by since I’m long overdue for a quick update. Since you last saw me I was in the midst of pregnancy and now, well, now I’m near the end of my journey but still pregnant 🙂 Approaching #38weeks to be exact and in a mode of awareness that anytime, anywhere, it.may.go.down. The holiday break has been a wonderful opportunity to catch up on the last-minute details of the nursery, stocking up on fun essentials (like polka-dotted leggings), and getting mentally prepared for the big D-day :O

Blogs and Pinterest continue to be a source of inspiration as I get dressed everyday, and in the last few weeks I even ventured out into purchasing items for my post-pregnancy self. Since I’m new at this and all I know is my current state of roundness (which I don’t mind all too much), I selected a few new items that will help look forward to getting back my ‘old’ physique. Pregnancy can do such a number on a woman’s self esteem, and it can go either way, from miserable to embracing the new life being created within, but I’ll explore more on another post as to how my personal journey came to be. Now that I’m this far along and babe is definitely feeling big, I’m feeling ready to meet our little sweet potato 🙂

While drafting this post I had to do some investigative work on finding out the name of this skirt. It’s an oldie but a long-standing goodie, and as I looked over previous posts I realized that I’ve owned this buttoned midi for about 3 years. Now in my world? That’s a really long time for owning something because I feel like in the last few years my personal style preference has been all over the map. One time I’m all about lace, next thing you know lace is out and stripes are in (until I got the stripes & clover tee and it was all over). It’s this shifting process of staying tuned in to fashion, seasons, lifestyle, new style icons, budget, forgotten budget(!), and sometimes it’s really fun because I feel like I’m always evolving, and other times it can feel exhausting and end up confusing me even more on honing down my exact style. I’ve realized with time that it’s not fun trying to fit a circle into a square, and the thought of coming up with one descriptor for identifying how I dress myself everyday is (insert yawn) particularly boring in my book. I feel like with clothing I have a chance to reinvent myself everyday, express my mood and my levels of creativity. Sure, there are times when I’d love to be able to roll in to work with distressed jeans or try out my new jumpsuit, but that’s my current reality and I have to follow certain guidelines each morning as I stare at my closet.

Then again, clothes shouldn’t be such a head-scratcher, right? Does it really take 30 minutes to figure out how to dress oneself for the day (well been there and done that so no judgement here)? I guess what I’m getting at in this circuitous sort of way is that clothes are just that, clothes. And while some take them seriously and judge based on labels and price tags, what always worked for me is deciphering whether they still bring out the best physically and emotionally. Regardless of how long I’ve owned something or how I’ve worn it. Lately I’ve found myself going through my closet more critically, pulling out pieces that no longer fit my current version, and shopping more strategically for pieces that can multi-function if you will. By narrowing down the amount of items I own also helps to keep them in mind as I’m out shopping, cause it’s quite embarrasing to bring home an item only to realize that it goes with nothing in my closet, not to mention lifestyle. I’ve noticed that these small changes in my shopping habits have lead to wearing these new items multiple times, reaching for them often, and always feeling good in them. And the other great thing has been highlighting those “oldies” that have stood multiple closet purges as great examples on the importance of purchasing, timeless, quality goods.

And in other news, the winner of the Shabby Apple giveaway is Kristin, from Lovely Apidae!!!

I think I can state with confidence that striped shirts and pencil skirts seem to be consistent contenders on the “must-have” wardrobe requirements. I’ve always appreciated the versatility that a striped shirt has to offer. I can wear it more casual with shorts or a breezy summer skirt during warmer days or add long sleeves and pair it with cords or jeans during colder weather. Stripes provide an element of variety as they can be paired with solid colors or for us more adventurous types, a little experimentation with pattern mixing never did anyone no harm! Pencil skirts follow the same suit in my book. I like to dress them up by tucking in blouses and layered with cardis for more conservative times, or go more casual by pairing them with a solid tee or a free-flowing tank that maintains proportions. What won me over with this skirt was its stretchy material and neutral color that can be paired with literally every color of the rainbow, including chambray! Now this is what I call a smart purchase 😉

I own an embarrasingly amount of both striped shirts and pencil skirts so it’s only natural that I’d eventually concoct an outfit based on both ingredients. I like to think of it as a moment where I made do with what I have and what works. Again, consistency is key here 😉